Shadows of Ray's past
by Leniati
Summary: Henry has to face Ray's old sidekick. Ray's tormented by his past and worried about Henry. When Ray needs to be there for Henry the most(facing Drex) he can't and that's killing him. happening before and during "Hour of power". story will be continued soon.
1. Shadows of Ray's Past

Ray looked at Henry- his excelent sidekick and couldn't be more proud and...relieved.

Since 9 years ago when he just started his superhero career and taken up a sidekick Drex who ended up as a huge disaster, Ray had said to himself that he will never ever have another sidekick, he fired Schwoz at the same time and became distant from everyone he once knew.

Drex's turn in to evil had a huge effect on Ray. After that he promissed to himself to never attach to someone else ever again. He was afraid to get betrayed and hurt. Again.

After he put Drex in jail he pushed everyone out of his life and worked alone, lived alone in the man cave. Well later he hired Gooch, becouse he needed someone to keep Junk n Stuff running, but Ray didn't talk to him much. Ray evan blamed himself for not being good enough to teach Drex the right ways or maybye he didn't see the signs of rising evil in Drex as soon as he should've.

Drex was his very first sidekick, Ray couldn't help himself but to give him everything he had: starting with fighting teachings and ending up with caring about him a lot. So the final battle between him and evil Drex was a nightmare which Ray wishes he could forget. He had to fight a person which he apparently raised and well...loved. He had to fight a person with who he laughed a lot, a person with who he went to their most lovable backery twice a week. He had to fight a person he cared the most about at the time.

The shadows of his past is still hunting swellview's hero until now. Or until he meet Henry.

Ray was afraid that one day he will start seeing signs of evil in Henry too, but... as months gone by Henry never reminded him of Drex. This kid was different, special. He was honest, had a pure heart and a soul of a true hero. Ray never caught Henry thinking more about himself than about his friends. It was hard for Ray to admit that he's getting attached to his new parthner first, but after every year passed by he felt more and more confotable that this time he won't lose his sidekick as he lost Drex.

Henry was nothing like Drex, he was an opposite of his ex evil sidekick. Evan tho a lot of years ago Ray promissed to himself not to attach to someone else again, he ended up loving Henry evan more than Drex, A way more than Drex. He has no idea how all of it happened, but evan a thought of Henry getting hurt, or injuried was to much to handle. He would do anything for that boy.

And when Ray's past was slowly starting to fade away for good he heard the news of an ultimate criminal getting out of jail...Drex. And Ray knew that he's gonna be after his new familly- Charlotte, Shwuaz and... Henry. Ray couldn't let any of them getting hurt becouse of his mistakes done in his past. He has to deal with this alone.


	2. The Confrontation

So the worst what could've happen actually happened.

"Up the tube" Ray ordered the tubes after Henry resisted to say it, evan thought he always loves to do that.

Just before they started going up Ray looked at Henry with consern.

Five minutes ago Ray was about to go face Drex, but Charlotte started being suspicious and then Henry came and thanks to Shwoz everyone now knows that I used to have another sidekick and it was this dangerous criminal which just got loose. He saw how much this affected Henry. How can he convince this kid that he has nothing to worry about, that he wouldn't evan consider of trading Henry to someone else and that Drex means nothing to him since he meet Henry? How can he say Henry that he's nothing like Drex and so much better than him in so many ways? Ray couldn't find right words to tell his precious sidekick that Drex never meant this much to him as Henry does. Not evan close.

So the worst happened - Henry now knows about his previous sidekick and evan worse - Henry's coming along. Ray should've known that he wouldn't leave him in this. This mission is extremely dangerous and Ray couldn't help it, but be worried about him.

It's been a few minutes already when Ray got stuck in this stupid cookie trap. And then they heared someone entering the backery. Ray and Henry both turned around to see who that was. And their worst guess became true - that was Drex. The first thing Ray noticed about him was a burning desire in his eyes to destroy Captain Man's new sidekick. To destroy Henry. Ray felt like someone punched him in the guts from the inside really bad. Ray felt so stupid and disapointed for letting himself get traped so stupidly and leaving Henry to face Drex alone. He needs to get him out of here. Somehow.

"Kid, get out of here" He tried to convince him.

"What. Why? No" he immediately resisted without evan thinking about it and pulled out a special gun Schwoz gave him and pointed it to Drex from distance. Ray should've known that Henry wouldn't leave him. He has to break free. Now. But no matter how much he tried, the trap seemed just as indestructable as he is. He tried to punch it from the inside, he tried to break it with his weight, he evan tried to bite it (that didn't end well).

„So Captain Man has a new sidekick" Drex's eyes sparkled as he was walking towards Henry. ''That's pathetic you know'' he added ''Ray Manchester even hired some unskilled boy just to have someone to replace me'' he laughed a little.

As Drex was walking towards Henry, Henry himself was walking a little backwards from him.

''Well Drex, you see, that's where you're wrong'' Ray said, he couldn't let him talk this way to Henry.

''Get on the floor!'' Henry ordered this dangerous criminal while loading the gun.

Drex just smiled at him and swiftly took away Henry's weapon and threw it out the window.

''Dang it!'' he reacted slightly too late.

''Yeah, he can do that'' Ray whispered him.

''Thanks for telling me in time'' He replied sarcastically.

Ray just rolled his eyes, but when Henry got confused neither to stay here by trapped Ray's side, or to leave him for few seconds and go get the weapon outside, Ray gave him a look that it's okay, he''ll be fine. So Henry sprinted out just so he can come back as soon as he can and Ray was been left alone with his old sidekick.

''So'' Drex started talking by walking around trapped Ray ''You know as there is only one Captain Man there should also be only one sidekick'' he said while smiling mysteriously.

''Well as you see there isn't so just deal with that. You failed as sidekick, Kid Danger won't '' Ray replied angrily. While still trying to escape.

''I'd like to disagree'' Drex said, while looking straight into Ray's eyes.

And by then Ray realised his old sidekick was up to something horrible. He freezed for the moment.

''What do you mean by that?'' Ray asked slowly in cold voice.

As Drex saw a worry and concern pass Ray's face his smile turned in to a grin. He was enjoying this much.

''What I mean is'' he started talking by walking towards Ray ''That there soon won't be two sidekicks living'' he pulled a strange glowing box from a bag which was laying on the floor and when he reached Ray, just before he placed that strange thing on Captain Man's head he quietly whispered, just so only Ray could hear it ''there will only be one to survive''.


	3. Doors Locked

Henry sprinted back to the backery as fast as he could just to find out that Drex locked the door. Through the window he could see that jerk Drex and...

''Let me in!'' Henry shouted as he saw that weird thing placed on Ray's head. ''Open the door!'' he continued shouting while hopelesly trying to get in.

He saw Captain Man's ex sidekick locking the glowing box on Ray's head while Ray himself was still trying to break free out of the trap. Henry realised how sadly ironic this situation is now: he's now forced to see Ray in danger and isn't able to do anything about it, just like Ray was minutes ago- watching Henry facing this dangerous criminal alone while Ray was hopelesly trapped.

When Drex was done locking the box he turned back to Henry and with a grin on his face he finally let him in. Henry immediately ran to Ray.

''Captain man! Are you alright? What did he do to you?'' he yelled while trying to take that strange thing off Ray's head.

''Hey, kid, listen. Be careful, he...'' Ray couldn't evan finish his sentence as I was punched so hard that I flew a few meters and crashed into the wall.

''What was that? What happened? Kid?'' Ray shouted and tried to move, but he couldn't see anything.

Meanwhile Henry slowly tried to get up and realise what just happened. Obviously Drex attacked him. When he finally got up he got spooked a bit when he saw that Drex was standing just in front of him. The villain immediately tried to attack him again, but this time Henry was prepared for this so he blocked Drex's attacks, but that wasn't enough, he couldn't do any damage to him, no matter the fact that he was doing his best right now.

''Kid, you gotta get out of here!'' Henry could hear Ray shouting in the backround.

Henry understood that it would be smarter to get out of here now and come back with a good plan to defeat Drex. But he wasn't sure he could force himself to leave Ray and evan if he decided to do that he couldn't now, he's still fighting Drex and the villain just doesn't seem to give him a break. As that thought ran through his head Drex noticed a good change and used it to punch Henry in the stomach. Captain Man's sidekick gasped and before he could catch his breath again Drex pushed him in the barrel with some strange sticky liquid so he couldn't move now and he could barely make a sound.

''KID?'' Captain Man shouted with consern. ''DREX?'' he yelled now with anger ''I swear to God if you did something to him...'' as he was still talking the noises of cracking wood coud be heared. Drex immediately turned back to Captain Man and saw him breaking. He didn't got himself free, but atleast he could walk now, well still having his hands trapped.

''Kid where are you? I'm coming!'' Ray yelled as he tried to walk.

''He's outside'' Drex told him silently smiling becouse Henry couldn't yell and in that way to show Captain Man where he really was.

''I'm coming!'' Ray shouted again and walked through the door out of the backery. The second Captain Man was gone Henry could hear a sound of the doors being locked and now he was left alone here with Drex. Drex himself was now slowly walking towards Henry with a smile of a victory on his face.


	4. Everything is Falling Apart

_**Thank you for all the reviews! That truly means a lot, thank you.**_

Ray couldn't see (unfortunately he was STILL blinded by the glowing box on his head) all those Henry's wounds and bruises, which he got from Drex but he knew they were there. And that was the worst- knowing how much hurt his sidekick is, but can't do anything about it or see how Henry looks or boy was so quiet now, he didn't talk to Ray,didn't say a word that he's hurt, but Ray still knew it. He just knew Henry that much. But him shutting Ray off heartbroken Swellview's hero. It seemed that everything was sliping throw Captain Man's fingers, that he fails at every step he takes. Henry shouldn't have fought Drex alone, Ray had to be there for him. He was afraid that Henry would feel disapointed of himself. He shouldn't. It wasn't his fault.

Ray was so far in his own thoughts that he was barely following the conversation going on here in the Man Cave. But recent sentences got his attention.

"Henry, the town needs you. You have to defeat Drex'' Charlotte insisted him. They both were by the screens, showing more crimes this villain has done recentely.

"I can't"

Henry said only these three words, but there was so much meaning, emotion and pain in it. Also it was among the first time he spoke again.

When the blonde was walking towards the tubes and slowely leaving all his sidekick gadgets Ray knew already, what's going to happen, but just couldn't deal with it and still had naive hopes. Only when he left the Man Cave Ray heard himself asking in a strange low voice "What just happened?"

Charlotte cleared everything out by stating that Henry quite his job. And by that momment Ray felt like the ground was slipping from down his feet. Could he really leave him...? Could he...? He can't leave him! Ray started to panic. But he just did... Ray thought. He couldn't evan imagine how hard it must've been for Henry to step out from all of this. He must really feel not good enough. And all of this was coused by Drex. Ray felt a rage and angriness filling his chest. But then he realised: what if it's not Drex? What if it's him-Ray? He's the one who started all of this long time ago. He almost believed that this problem could be forgotten and never solved. But it couldn't. It must be dealt with. That's were Ray's mistake was. But the only issisue was that it won't be Ray who solves it.


	5. It's Time

"It's time" Ray said in a low voice when he entered Schwoz's room.

Schwoz turned to him, first confused about not knowing what the superhero means. But he quickly remembered.

"Are you sure?" He asked conserned.

"We don't have a choice" Ray answered.

"But, Ray, that's dange-"

"I KNOW its dangerous,Schwoz!" Ray raised his voice, but then sighted "I know" he repeated quitely with a bit of sadness.

"Do you think the boy is ready?"

"He is. "

It's been a few hours now since Charlotte and Schwoz went to get Henry. Ray guessed that things weren't going well. What else would be taking them so long? And at the same moment he thought of this, he finally heard someone going down the tubes. Well as much as he hated to still be blinded by that stupid box, he has to admit that this improved his hearing. When three of them finally landed in the Man Cave Ray heard something loudly falling down.

"Ouups" he hard Charlotte whispering.

Was it Henry who fell down? Is he unconscious? "That means he resisted to come back" Ray thought. For a momment he felt hurt and all his guilt came back, but he just couldn't let himself to just feel bad and do nothing, he's gonna fix everything, he's gonna make everything alright again. Or he will atleast try.

After half an hour Henry finally woke up. He was already been put on a special weird table with all those strange inventions, which Schwoz friends brought, all around him, so the blonde freaked out at first.

"Hey hey, woah, calm down, everything's alright" Charlotte, who was just by his side, rushed to calm her best friend down.

"Charlotte! Wha... why am I in the Man Cave? I've told you that im not coming back!" He sounded kinda irritated, but not too much,it seemed like he was kind of relieved that someone brought him back where he belongs.

"What am I doing here?" He sighted.

"Becouse Swellview needs you, Henry!"

"But-"

"I don't care! Henry, he's got Jasper!" She didn't evan let him to argue with her. "Someone has to stop Drex and that is you" she did a little pause and then smiled "you gonna get a superpower".

After Schwoz's mysterious magician friends explained Henry what are they goining to do to him, boy looked conserned.

"I don't know... it looks kinda dangerous" he sounded doubtfull and a bit scared, everything was happening so fast, not to mention a pressure that he's the only one who can possibly save Jasper and the whole town now and get the kee to unlock the box, which was covering Ray's head. Then for a few minutes he was quiet. Ray couldn't see what's happening or what the boy is doing now.

"Ray?" He heard Henry say. Out of all people in the room he needed Ray's support the most. Evan tho captain man was blinded he still was looking at him. Ray's heart shivered for a momment. Henry talks to him! Maybe he can actually make everything right again.

''It's okay, kid. You're gonna be okay'' he said and smiled.

Then Henry let the weird magicians to put a strange scary breathing mask on his face and he fell to sleep again, while Schowz's friends were singing a strange ritual.


End file.
